All I Want
by alayahchanel
Summary: Puck has always lived his life on his terms but is shocked when he learns from his estranged father that he is a prince. As heir to the crown, Puck must abandon everything he knows to work his way to the throne. In the midst of his confusion he finds comfort in the chambermaid, Rachel. In this new life only she makes him feel like himself but he can't have her. Being royal is hard.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! I got an idea and I thought it would be interesting to try it. It may sound like Princess Diaries at first but the story is nothing like that. Enjoy!**

 **Plot: Puck has always lived his life on his terms but is shocked when he learns from his estranged father that he is a prince. As heir to the crown, Puck must abandon everything he knows to work his way to the throne. In the midst of his confusion he finds comfort in the chambermaid, Rachel. In this new life only she makes him feel like himself but he can't have her. Being royal is hard.**

Chapter 1

Puck groaned as his alarm clock went off. He was tempted to throw it against the wall but he knew that would wake up the rest of the guys so he got out of bed and went to get dressed. He was not a morning person by any means but he was making money so he couldn't complain.

Even though he was a photographer, he had to get up early sometimes to get good shots for his clients. That morning, he was doing Finn's cousin's graduation portraits.

"Good to see you're on time," Mrs. Hudson said as he got out of his car and walked over to them.

"As hard as it was to get out of bed I decided you're more important so feel special," he smirked.

Finn's cousin, Leah, rolled her eyes. "Hey it was your choice to have us do it this early. We could've all still been in our beds right now."

"Right but then your pictures would suck. Now let's get to work."

For the next two hours, Puck took pictures of Leah in the locations that she picked in her different outfits. Once everything was finished, they were all satisfied with what was done and left to get a well-deserved nap.

When he got back to his apartment, Puck sighed with relief when he saw that Finn and Mike already went to work. He wanted to get some sleep before his next gig that day. But the moment his head hit the pillow, his cell phone rang.

He groaned in frustration before answering. "Hello?"

"Hey were you still sleeping?" Maria asked. "I thought you had a shoot this morning."

"I did but I finished so I was going to get some sleep. Did you need something?"

"Yeah I wanted you to come by for dinner tonight."

"Why? Is it a special occasion?" he asked. He usually went to have dinner with his family on Monday nights but seeing how it was Saturday, he didn't know why she wanted him over.

"No, Sara just wanted to see you," she told him.

Puck sighed. Maria knew that the way to get Puck to come over was to use his sister as an excuse and it worked every time. "Okay why not? I'll be over around five."

"Great see you then," she replied before they hung up and he went to sleep.

Later that day, Puck got back from his shoot and sighed when he remembered he told his mom he'd come over for dinner. He contemplated faking sick but he knew he couldn't do that to Sara. She worshipped him and looked forward to any opportunity she got to see him.

When he came out of his room after changing, Mike looked at him from the couch.

"Hot date?" he smirked.

"Shut up. I'm going to my mom's for dinner."

"It's not Monday."

"I know but apparently Sara really wanted to see me. I just want to get it over with so I can crawl back into my bed."

"Well just eat fast. Guess you won't want to come to the bar with me and Finn."

Puck thought for a moment. "On second thought, I'm not as tired as I thought I was."

"Really?" Mike laughed. "You need a night out that bad?"

"Yeah I've been having back to back shoots. The money's great but I need a break."

"Well after you finish with your mom just meet us there."

Puck nodded before walking out. When he drove to his mom's house, he frowned in confusion when he saw a black car in front of the house. Neither his mom nor his stepdad drove black cars so he couldn't figure out who was there.

As he got out of the car, his stepdad, Greg, smiled as he walked over to him. "Puck glad you made it."

"Well apparently my presence was requested. What are you working on?" he asked, motioning to the gardening supplies behind him.

"Oh your mom wanted some kind of garden in the front yard. I'm trying to get us started."

"Funny that she wants it but she makes you do it," he smirked.

Greg chuckled. "Well you know better than anyone when your mom wants something you find some way to make it happen."

Puck laughed and nodded in agreement. When his mom first started dating Greg, Puck had his reservations. He didn't think he was good enough but when Greg proved himself, he couldn't help but get on board with them getting married. When Sara was born, Puck felt happy that he finally had the family he's wanted since his dad stopped coming around when he was a kid. He never understood why and his mother never liked to talk about it. But that didn't mean he didn't think about it every now and then.

"Hey did you or Mom get a new car?" he asked, motioning to the black car.

Greg frowned. "You should ask your mother about it."

Sensing that something was off, Puck simply shrugged before going inside. As soon as he walked in the door, Sara came downstairs.

"Mom said you were coming over," she said, approaching him.

"Yeah didn't you want me to come?"

She shook her head in confusion. "No why?"

"Mom said-"

"Noah," Maria cut in.

Puck rolled his eyes. "Really Mom? Lying about Sara to get me to come over? You could've just told me the real reason."

"I doubt you would've come if I did."

"Well what is it?"

Before she could respond, a man walked out from the kitchen and stood in front of Puck. "It's me. I wanted to see you."

Puck froze as Sara looked between them in confusion before looking at her brother. "I don't get it. Who is this guy?"

"My father," he replied emotionless.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The dinner was awkwardly silent. The only sounds were silverware hitting the plates. Puck refused to look at his father or acknowledge that he was even there. He wanted to turn and leave right out the door as soon he saw him but he knew that would've just caused more problems.

Puck's father, James, cleared his throat. "Maria this cabbage is delicious."

"Thank you," she replied, trying to be polite.

Finally, Puck had enough and dropped his fork. "Why are you here?"

Caught off guard, James stumbled. "I just thought it'd be nice to see what you've been up to."

"Are you kidding me? Last time I saw you I was eight and that was when you told me we were going to spend more time together then you never came back. So I ask again, why are you here?"

"I have something I needed to talk to you about." He glanced at everyone else. "Alone."

"This is my family, you're the outsider. Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of them."

Maria shook her head. "Noah this is something the three of us need to discuss. Sara, why don't you get ready for bed?"

"No way, I want to make sure Puck's okay," she insisted.

Puck broke his glare at James to look at his sister. "Don't worry, I'm okay. Mom's right you should get some sleep."

She sighed before nodding and hugging him. After saying good night to everyone but James, she went upstairs while everyone stayed in the living room.

"I should give you guys some privacy," Greg said, heading towards the stairs.

"No," Puck told him. "Stay. You've been more of a father than he ever was, you should be part of the conversation." Satisfied, Greg nodded and stood next to Maria while Puck looked back at James. "Now what do you want?"

"Noah I can explain where I've been."

"I don't really care. I just want to know why you showed back up after all these years."

He sighed. "Well that would be the same reason I left. I don't know how to say this but I've been keeping a secret from you."

"Can you stop with the dramatic buildup and spit it out?" Puck asked, getting more irritated by the second.

"Okay to be straight to the point, my mother married a man who she later learned was king of a country called Meldovia. It's a small country but very important to us. That man was my father and when he died, I became king."

"Wait," Puck said, trying to put it together. "If you're a king that would mean that-"

"You're a prince. Correct."

After a moment of silence, he shook his head. "Wow. You know if you were going to show up after all this time you could've thought of a more believable lie."

"Noah he's not lying," Maria told him. "It's true."

He groaned. "Come on Mom, you really buy this crap?"

"I know it's hard to believe but I'm telling the truth," James said. "Around the time that I left you and your mother, my father died in an accident and I had to go fulfill his obligation to the country. I wasn't expecting it and I wish I didn't have to leave but I did."

"Why didn't you take us with you?"

"Your mother and I agreed to give you a normal life. She didn't want you to grow up underneath the pressure I was in."

Puck took in a deep breath as he felt the room spinning. This wasn't real. His dad wasn't in his living room telling him he was a prince of some country he had never heard of. "So you just randomly decided to tell me this now?"

"No. You're my only child so you're the sole heir to the crown. You need to begin your training so you can be take on your role as prince of Meldovia."

"Well I don't want to," he shook his head. "And after thirteen years of not being in my life you have no right to come in here and ask me to do anything for you."

Without another word, Puck walked out of the house slamming the door behind him. None of this was happening. He wanted to go to sleep and wake up having it all just be a weird dream but the more he pinched himself, the angrier he became that he most certainly awake.

When he got to the bar where he was meeting Finn and Mike, Puck immediately sat down and ordered a shot.

Mike looked at him, confused. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine why?" he asked before taking the shot put in front of him.

"Because you just came in and didn't even order a beer first like you always do," Finn answered, concerned for his friend.

"Well I don't need one, leave me alone."

"What happened at your mom's?" Mike asked.

Puck shrugged. "You know, the usual. My deadbeat dad showed up and told me the reason he's been gone all these years is because he's a king of some country called Meldovia which means I'm some kind of prince. And before you ask, yes it's definitely true."

Finn raised his eyebrows. "Wow that's a lot to take in."

"You're telling me," he replied, getting another shot. "Best part? He wants me to come to Meldovia with him to begin training to be a prince. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to drink more and forget this night even happened."

Finn and Mike stayed silent, unsure of what to say to their friend. Puck was never one to share his feelings, especially when it came to his dad, but now that he was sharing willingly, they knew he was really unraveling. Looks like it was about to be a long night for all of them.

 **Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

The next morning, Puck woke up with a splitting headache. He couldn't remember much of the previous night which he certainly didn't mind. He knew that whenever he got drunk like that, it was for a good reason. It usually meant something happened that he didn't want to remember so he drank enough to forget.

Puck felt his head ache even more when his cell phone started ringing. He groaned before finding it and answering. "What?"

"Well good morning to you too," his mother said on the other end. "You're hungover, aren't you?"

"Maybe why?"

"I wanted to come by and check on you to make sure you were alright with processing everything you found out last night. But judging by the fact that you're hungover I'd say you're not doing a very good job."

Bits and pieces from last night came into Puck's mind. When he remembered his father's announcement, he frowned. "Well how else am I supposed to feel with finding out that my father is some king of some made-up country and that my mother lied to me about it my whole life."

Maria sighed. "Just let me in and I'll explain everything."

He rolled his eyes at the fact that his mother was already there before buzzing her in. After a moment, she walked in with Sara behind her. Immediately, Sara ran over to Puck and hugged him.

"She insisted on coming to make sure you were okay," Maria explained.

He looked at his sister. "I told you I'm fine."

"I'm no expert but I don't think hungover means you're fine," Sara replied.

He smirked. "Hey sometimes being hungover means that you just had a really great night."

"Noah," Maria reprimanded. "That is not a good thing to teach your sister. She's only eleven."

"Hey she might as well learn now."

"We need to talk about what happened last night."

"What happened was that I found out you lied to me my whole life. I mean did it ever occur to you that I might want to know where my father was?"

She nodded. "I know and you have every right to be upset. But you were so young at the time, you wouldn't have understood. And the last thing I wanted was for you to be raised in the kind of environment your father was raised in. His mother wasn't a nice woman and she would've made everything ten times harder. Being a prince at that age would've been too much for you, especially given how rambunctious you were."

"So you just kept it a secret and let him leave us behind."

"Noah even if his father hadn't died, James still would've left. I'm not royal and his mother wasn't too fond of the fact that we were together let alone had a child. I wasn't good enough and the fact that I refused to raise you in Meldovia made it that much easier for him to leave."

Puck shook his head in frustration. Hearing all of this made last night real and he wasn't sure if he could handle it becoming real. "If you wanted me to have a normal life, why are you telling me now?"

"Your father refuses to have any more children," she shrugged. "Despite his mother's beliefs and disapproval, he claims it wouldn't be fair to you, even if it was for the good of the country. Apparently, he had a vasectomy some time ago. Because of that, you're the sole heir to the crown and someone needs to be prepared to take over one day."

"Honestly, I would've rather him had another kid," he muttered as he sat on the couch. "I'm not going to just pick up and go to some country I had no idea existed until yesterday. I have a life here."

"I'm not expecting you to. I told your father the decision is completely up to you. You can refuse the crown and continue with your regular life. The country will just be left without a ruler but that wouldn't be your problem."

Puck went silent for a moment before looking at Maria. "What do you think I should do?"

She thought for a moment. "I think you should do whatever you feel is right for you. But I also think that you should talk with your father first before deciding anything. He can answer any questions you have better than I can."

He sighed and nodded. As much as he hated it, he needed to talk to James about everything. Even if it was going to make him angry enough to spit to talk to the man who left him years ago.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After his hangover was taken care of, Puck went to meet James at the hotel he was staying at. He told himself not to let his father get him worked up but he knew it was going to be easier said than done. James was the one sore spot for him growing up and he hated that it's still the case at twenty-one years old.

When he found his father at a table in the hotel restaurant, Puck took a deep breath before walking over to him.

James smiled when he noticed Puck. "Hey you made it."

"Well you dropped a bomb on me yesterday," he said, sitting across from him. "I deserve some kind of answer."

"You're right, you do. I want to answer any question or concern you have."

"Why didn't you take me with you? You just left with no second thoughts or anything."

"I did have second thoughts. I wanted to bring you with me but your mother insisted that Meldovia was no place for either of you and she was right. My mother was not very thrilled about my having a child out of wedlock and I was forced to make a choice between you and your mother and the throne."

"And like any good parent you basically said fuck us," he glared. "You chose them over us. Over me. Mom was right, you would've left even if your dad didn't die."

James frowned. "Eventually I would've had to. Your mother refused to come and she refused to let me take you by myself. As much as I didn't want to, I had no other choice but to leave."

"So why tell me some bullshit lie that you would start spending more time with me if you were just going to leave?"

"Spending time with you was always in the plan. But becoming king had me busier than I expected and by the time I truly got the hang of things, too much time had passed for me to come back like nothing happened."

"And yet that's exactly what you choose to do now."

"Because the time has come for you to become part of Meldovia. I will not be around forever and you're at an age where you need to become educated on the ways of the country."

Puck sat back in his chair. "So you expect me to leave my whole life. My mom, Greg, my sister, my friends for you?"

"I wouldn't think of it to be for me. I would think of it to be for a country of people needing your leadership. Look I know I have no right to ask this. But I want to make up for not being there all this time."

"Yeah a good way of doing that would be a car or a house. Not a country," he said before getting up. "Find someone else."

"Noah," James called as Puck walked away but Puck kept walking. He had heard enough and he wasn't about to sit around and listen to anything else James had to say. He just wanted to go back to his life before his father interrupted it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As he played basketball with Mike and Finn later that day, Puck couldn't stop thinking about what James was asking of him. He hated the thought of helping his dad but he also knew that his decision to not take the throne wouldn't just affect him but it would also affect an entire kingdom.

"So you're really not going to do it?" Mike asked bringing him out of his thoughts.

"No I'm not doing it," Puck replied. "It's insane."

Finn shook his head. "But you've been wanting to see your dad since he left. Now you would actually be around him a lot more and you'd be helping him."

"I stopped wanting to see that man a long time ago. Besides he's the one that left, why do I have to do him a favor? And why are you trying to get me to agree to it?"

"Come on, you're acting like there aren't perks to being a prince. The big thing would be the princesses lined up for you," the taller man smirked.

"That's about the only perk."

"No it's not," Mike said. "For as long as we've known each other, you've always wanted to do something with your life so you don't end up like the loser everyone thought you'd be. Now you have the chance to be that person."

"By becoming prince of a country I never heard of?" Puck raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't matter. You'd be in a position of power. You would have the power to make a difference. Who wouldn't want that?"

"Except to do it I'd have to leave everything behind. That includes you guys and my family."

"We can always come visit. If you're not going to do this for your dad, do it for yourself. Make this into something you want."

He sighed. Mike was saying everything he knew made sense. As much as he hated his dad for leaving, part of him knew he should at least try it to see if he could do it.

"So do we have a place to vacation to?" Finn smirked.

"Yeah I guess you do. Unless I kick your ass in this game," he replied, making a basket.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'll come back with you," Puck told James the next day.

His father's jaw dropped. "Really? What changed your mind?"

He paused. "I've been to juvie before. Did you know that?"

"No I didn't. For what?"

"Theft," Puck shrugged. "I was stupid and thought I was cool but I was really just an idiot. After that everyone always thought I wouldn't end up anywhere in life. None of them thought I'd graduate high school but I proved them wrong. I want to keep proving them wrong and if that means accepting this responsibility then I'll do it."

"Wow. I don't know what to say except for thank you."

"I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for me. I may be going back with you but that doesn't mean I'm suddenly welcoming you back in my life with open arms. As far as I'm concerned, you're still the father who abandoned me. That's not going to change."

James frowned at this. He really wanted to reconnect with his son but clearly they were going to have to work their way to that. While he wanted to fight him on this, instead he nodded. "Okay deal."

 **Looks like Puck is going to Meldovia. Next chapter he meets Rachel in an interesting way. Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Maria asked as Puck prepared to get on James's private plane. "You can back out if you want."

"For the hundredth time, yes I'm sure. I want to do this," he replied before hugging her.

"We are going to see you again right?" Sara asked nervously.

Puck smiled. "Of course. Every chance I get I'm going to try to fly you out. Look at it this way, while all your friends are going to boring beaches for vacation you get to stay in a palace."

"But that's months away."

"Something tells me you'll be able to handle it. Look I need you to take care of everything here for me while I'm gone. Can you do that?"

She thought for a moment. "Promise I get to come out as soon as I go on break?"

"As soon as you're on break I'll be sending the first private plane out to get you."

"Fine I guess I can do it," she nodded before giving him a hug. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too."

When they pulled away, Greg looked at him. "Don't go getting a big head about any of this. Stay the same Puck we know and love."

"Sounds easy enough," he shrugged before hugging him. "Take care of my mom."

"Of course." As they backed away, Greg glanced at James. "Give him a chance."

"Aren't you supposed to hate the ex?" Puck joked.

"For what he did to your mom and how he left you guys he's not on my list of favorite people. But he's still your dad. Try to keep that in mind."

"I'll try," he replied.

Mike walked over to him. "Hey don't mean to interrupt but I think everyone is ready to go."

"Guess this is it," he sighed. "You know I'm going to kill you guys if this all blows up."

Finn smirked. "Wouldn't expect anything different. Try to have some fun."

"Something tells me royalty is anything but. I'm going to miss you guys."

"You'll miss us until you find a princess," Mike joked. "Fly us out as soon as possible."

"Of course," he nodded before hugging his friends.

When he realized his goodbyes were done, he sighed and turned to get on the plane. Once he sat down, he looked out the window to his friends and family waving to him and felt a sense of sadness. He was leaving them behind to go into something completely unknown. Would it be worth it?

His thoughts were interrupted when James came and sat across from him. Noticing the sad look on his son's face, James tried to smile.

"Hey you know you're a prince. You have the power to bring them out whenever you want."

"There's just a difference between them being around the corner and being in a whole different country."

"Well I think it'll be worth it. You're going to love Meldovia, it's beautiful, the people are great-"

"It's your country, you'd have to say that. Look can we just not talk about it right now? I'd like to pretend I'm still normal for a little longer."

Disappointed, James nodded and they sat in silence as the plane took off. For the rest of the ride,

Puck just thought about what this new life had in store for him. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he was imagining. Maybe he would actually enjoy being in charge of a country.

When they started to land hours later, Puck looked out the window and was amazed at how big the palace was.

"This is where we'll be living?" he asked in shock.

"Yeah this will be like your second home." He frowned. "Now before we land I have to warn you about something."

"What?"

"My mother. She's not the warmest woman in the world so she may not appear to be very friendly."

"Great. I have a wicked grandmother," he rolled his eyes. "Anything else that will make this sound more like a terrible Disney movie? Do I have a wicked stepmother or stepsisters?"

James chuckled. "No you don't. I came to the conclusion long ago that I am not meant to be married. Again, also to the dismay of my mother."

"Sounds like you're a bit of a disappointment."

"You learn to not really care," he shrugged as they landed.

As they got off the plane and rode in a car to the palace, Puck couldn't get over the fact that all of it was technically his. He was used to his small apartment not someplace like a palace. When they arrive to the palace, an elderly woman who Puck assumed was his grandmother was standing outside waiting for them.

"Just couldn't wait for us inside could you?" James asked as they got out.

"Let's just say I was anxious," she replied before eyeing Puck. "Is this him?"

He nodded. "Mother this is Noah. Noah this is my mother, Queen Olivia."

Puck held out his hand but when she didn't accept, he gladly took it back. "Call me Puck."

"I assume the nickname has nothing to do with one of Shakespeare's characters," she frowned disapprovingly.

"Nope not at all," he smiled clearly unbothered with her disapproval. "Just something I liked better than Noah that's not completely unrelated to my name."

"Your mother allowed it I assume? I'm not surprised."

Puck frowned at the indirect insult to his mother as James tried to change the subject. "Why don't we go inside so I can show you where your room is?"

They went inside and as James droned on about the history of the palace and royal family, Puck was too occupied with the portraits of Puckerman men on the wall. For the first time since finding out about his royal identity, he felt out of place. Like he wasn't related to any of these men, not even James. Unlike everyone else, he hadn't been raised with royalty. How was he supposed to know how to be a great leader like them?

His thoughts were interrupted when they finally got to his room. When he looked inside, Puck's jaw dropped.

"This is mine?" he asked.

James nodded. "I hope it's to your liking, we kind of fixed it up last minute."

"Trust me, it'll work." He paused. "Where's your room?"

"On the other side of the palace. Don't worry you'll have complete privacy."

"Perfect," he smiled.

"I have a few meetings to attend so I will be unavailable until dinner tonight. Let the staff know if you need anything."

Grateful to be rid of James for a while, Puck nodded as he walked away. When he noticed Olivia still standing there, he sighed. "I'm guessing you wanted something."

"I know my son has missed out on a great deal of your life. But I am hoping that your mother was decent enough to at least raise someone who knows how to dress properly for dinner."

"You know, I may have let it slide earlier but I'm really not a fan of someone talking shit about my mother when she was the one who was there. Your son wasn't. In fact, another guy stepped in and did what he didn't do."

"They're not married either are they?" she asked smugly.

"Actually they got married when I was a kid. Even had another kid. Look Olivia I don't know what you have against me or my mom and I don't really care. Let's just stay out of each other's way and this will be way less painful for both of us. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to take a shower after that long plane ride."

Not giving her a chance to respond, Puck turned away and went into his bathroom hoping it was enough to make her leave. Sure enough, by the time he finished his shower she was gone. He sighed in relief and closed the door as he looked through his suitcase for something comfortable to wear until dinner.

As he looked, Puck's thoughts were so consumed with how much he disliked Olivia and how he hoped he wouldn't be around her often that he didn't hear his door open.

When he finally heard humming, Puck turned around so quickly that his towel dropped and he came face to face with a shorter brunette. "What the hell?"

Her jaw dropped in shock. "Oh my God I am so sorry your majesty." Realizing his nakedness, she quickly looked away. "I did not realize you had arrived and I was leaving extra blankets for you. Please forgive me your majesty, I did not mean any harm."

Puck quickly picked up a pair of pants and slipped them on. "It's fine, don't worry about it. And please don't call me that."

"Well 'your majesty' is how we address members of the royal family," she replied still turned away.

"You can turn around," he told her. As she turned to look at him, her eyes quickly darted away. Puck chuckled. "What now?"

"I should wait until you are decent, your majesty."

"Well this is as decent as I'm going to get at the moment and really, you don't need to call me that. Maybe that's what you call my father and the wicked grandmother but I go by Puck."

She looked at him, confused. "Puck? The king said that we were expecting Noah."

He rolled his eyes before holding out his hand. "Noah Puckerman. Apparently, prince of this place. You are?"

"Rachel Berry," she hesitantly shook it. "I am one of the chambermaids for the palace."

Now that he got a good look at her, Puck was surprised by her beauty. He never thought chambermaids could look like the woman standing in front of him but he was wrong. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Again I apologize for disturbing you. I should let you finish getting dressed."

"Really it's fine," he sighed but she was already out the door. He groaned to himself as he laid across the bed. What good was being a prince if gorgeous women like Rachel were afraid to talk to him? Maybe he'd have an opportunity to talk to her more after dinner. That is, if he could convince her that it was okay to talk to him.

 **Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

At dinner that night, Puck sat and looked at James and Olivia. Part of him still couldn't believe he was a prince living in a palace but another part of him wished he was still normal and living at home with his family nearby. Even though he was biologically related to them, James and Olivia didn't feel like family to him. Just strangers.

"So Noah," Olivia said, bringing him out of his thoughts. "What did you do before coming here? Did you attend school?"

"Actually I chose not to attend college. I was a photographer."

"Highest level of education is high school, why am I not surprised," she muttered before taking a sip from her cup.

James cut in when he saw Puck losing his patience. "What made you choose photography?"

"It was something easy that people told me I was good at," he shrugged before smirking. "Plus it gave me the opportunity to take some good pictures of women in their birthday suits."

James choked on his drink as Olivia looked at Puck, confused. "I don't understand."

"Don't worry about it Mom," James told her before glaring at Puck who was holding back his laughter. He could already tell messing with Olivia was going to be his favorite thing to do.

Later on that night, Puck was getting ready for bed when there was a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said. When James came in, he sighed. "Sorry but I'm way too old to be tucked in."

"Yes I am aware. I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I went to bed. I know staying in a new place can be a little hard."

"I'm fine as long the wicked grandmother stays on her side of the palace. The last thing I want is to wake up to her standing over me with a pillow to smother me."

James chuckled. "She'll warm up eventually. Just try to hold back on the dirty jokes, those aren't the way to her good side."

"I don't really give a crap about her good side. I doubt she even has one."

"Hey she's still your grandmother."

"She's a stranger. Kind of what you are except the difference is I never met her so she didn't have the opportunity to disappear on me."

He frowned and hesitated before speaking again. "Sleep well."

"You too," Puck replied, clearly not meaning it. As James walked out, Puck sighed to himself. As much as he wished he had a normal relationship with his father, the resentment towards him for leaving was still there and wasn't going away anytime soon.

As he laid in bed, Puck kept tossing and turning unable to get comfortable. James was right, staying someplace new wasn't easy. Unable to get to sleep, he got out of bed and walked around the palace to get more familiar with it. As he walked around, he heard a woman singing. He followed the voice and ended up in the ballroom where he found Rachel sitting in a chair in the corner, writing in a notebook.

"Guess I'm not the only one who can't sleep," Puck said.

She immediately looked and jumped up when she saw him. "Prince Noah, I didn't hear you come in. I am so sorry, I did not mean to disturb you."

"Rachel relax, I was already up walking around. I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd give myself a tour of this place after hours."

"Oh is your suite not to your liking?"

"It's great, it's just going to take some getting used to. What are you doing up?"

She shrugged. "I too was having difficulty sleeping."

"What are you writing?" he asked, motioning to her notebook.

"It's nothing, just a song. It's part of the reason I can't get to sleep. When I get an idea I just have to write it out before being able to sleep."

"Well you have a really great voice. You should sing more often."

"It's not exactly part of my job. I'm just supposed to clean your suites."

"So where exactly do you stay?"

"Oh I have my own quarters on the other side of the palace. In fact, I should get back before anyone wakes and finds us in here," she said, gathering her stuff to leave.

"Wait would that be a bad thing?"

"It's not proper for me to be engaging with a royal. I could get into a lot of trouble which I do not want."

"It's not like I'll say anything," he told her.

Before she could respond, they heard someone clearing their throat and immediately turned around to see a man standing by the door.

"Well what do we have here?" he asked. "Rachel what are you doing up here?"

Puck immediately shook his head. "It was my fault, I asked her to stay-"

"Prince Noah it's alright," Rachel told him. "This is my father and your butler, Hiram."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Prince Noah," Hiram smiled. "Your father is so excited to have you here."

"That's a shock," he mumbled. "And please stop calling me Prince Noah. This whole royalty thing is still new and I'd like to still feel like myself."

"How about just Noah then? I'll let your father know you're having a hard time adjusting to this so we can at least give you that."

"You really think he'll listen?"

"Father is the king's most trusted butler," Rachel replied. "He usually takes his word."

"Well thanks, I'd appreciate that. Even though I highly doubt my dad gives a crap about how I feel."

Hiram frowned at him. "He told me you'd have ill feelings toward him."

"Can you blame me? Having your father disappear on you as a kid doesn't make for the best relationship."

"Just give him a chance. I'm sure he'd like to make it better."

"He can't. Besides, all I want from him right now is to leave me alone while I try to make sense of all this."

"Well you have your lessons start tomorrow so maybe that will help. Which means that we'd better be getting to bed so that you can get some sleep. First lesson is at nine a.m. in the common room."

"Wonderful. More schooling," he rolled his eyes as Hiram walked out. As Rachel went to leave he stopped her. "Thanks for staying and talking to me even if it could've gotten you into trouble. I really appreciate it."

"Of course. See you in the morning," she smiled before walking out to catch up with her father. Puck sighed to himself as he left to go back to his room. Hopefully now he'd be able to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Puck woke up and looked at the clock on the nightstand. When he saw what time it was, he immediately jumped out of bed and got dressed. When he rushed to the common room and found Olivia and Hiram sitting there waiting.

Olivia looked at him. "Oh he finally graces us with his presence."

"Sorry, I overslept."

"What if this was an important meeting with another country about trade? Oversleeping wouldn't be an acceptable excuse."

"Please tell me you're not the one giving me my lessons," he frowned.

Hiram shook his head. "It will be both of us. We will alternate lessons."

"Can't you just teach me on your own?"

"Hiram is not of royal blood," Olivia told him. "He will teach the less extensive subjects but some things you need to learn from a member of the family."

"Family is about the last word I would use to describe you."

Seeing the tension, Hiram stepped in. "Well I will be conducting the first lesson while Olivia accompanies your father to a meeting."

"Perfect," Puck nodded. Olivia rolled her eyes before whispering something to Hiram and leaving. "I swear she makes my skin crawl. No wonder my mom didn't want to move here."

"Let's just get to your lesson," Hiram replied. "We're going to start discussing duties and responsibilities."

As they went through the lesson, all Puck could think about was how overwhelming all of this would be. He knew it was a big job but having it laid out to him like what Hiram is doing is making him starting to second guess his decision to accept his role.

When they finished the lesson two hours later, Puck looked at Hiram.

"So honest answer, do you think I can do this?" he asked. "And when I say honest answer I mean give it to me straight like I'm just a regular guy, not a prince."

Hiram gave a sympathetic smile. "Second thoughts?"

"Pretty much," he nodded. "As my lovely grandmother loves to point out, I wasn't raised in this. I don't know the proper protocol for any of this."

"Maybe that's a good thing. It'll make you more real to the people. Speaking of which, I am arranging a sort of coming out party for you to introduce you to the people of Meldovia. That way we can get people familiar with the new face and get you familiar with the kinds of people you will be ruling over someday."

"Oh great."

"It will be fine, I promise. Now if you'll follow me, your father's meeting has ended and he has requested to speak to you about your discomfort."

"Glad he could fit me into his schedule," Puck mumbled as he followed Hiram to his father's office.

When they walked in, James looked up from his work and took off his glasses.

"Thank you Hiram," he told him. Hiram nodded before walking out, leaving them alone. James turned back to Puck. "So Hiram tells me you are feeling uncomfortable here."

"Well did you expect something different? I just left my entire life behind. My family, my friends, my job, everything. This isn't going to be as easy as you think it should be."

"I understand," he nodded. "So tell me what I can do to make you more comfortable. You're my son, I don't want you unhappy."

"That's rich coming from you," Puck gave a sour laugh. "Unless you can go back thirteen years and tell me the truth about all of this from the beginning, there isn't much you can do."

"Noah I am trying here. Please give me some credit."

He sighed. As much as he didn't want to ask his father for anything, he had to admit that he did need something to make this transition a little easier. "A friend would be nice but I doubt you can get me one of those considering everyone in this place isn't allowed to really talk to me because I'm a prince."

"Who would you like freedom to converse with?"

Puck thought for a moment. What he was about to say would either be very stupid on his part or actually help him get adjusted to this place. "The chambermaid, Rachel Berry."

"Hiram's daughter?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. We talk to him freely, why not his daughter?"

The older man considered this before finally nodding. "I suppose you have a point. And you are sure that this will help your transition?"

"Positive."

"Okay then I will allow it. But I do have a favor to ask of you."

"Should've known there would be a catch," he rolled his eyes.

"I need you to try a little bit harder to get along with my mother. I know she's not what you expected but I'd like to see that you were trying a little bit with her."

"I can try when she stops talking shit about Mom. Especially when she's the one who did what you didn't."

"I'll talk to her," he replied, ignoring the dig. "But I'd still like you to try."

"Fine I guess I'll try. What's this party that Hiram's talking about throwing for me?"

"It's a way to introduce you to everyone. I'm sure there will be questions of where you came from and why you are just now appearing but we will prepare for those. All you have to worry about is showing up dressed and ready to mingle."

"Perfect," he mumbled. "Can I go?"

James nodded and Puck walked out of the office sighing. If he was going to have to pretend to be one of these people he'd need help from someone who has been around them. He went to the servants' quarters and found Rachel folding sheets in her room.

When he knocked on the door, she quickly turned around. "Oh your highness, you scared me."

"First, I don't want to be called that either," he told her. "Like I said, Puck or Noah is fine."

"Right, I'm sorry. Force of habit."

"It's okay. Sorry I scared you, I was just looking for you."

"Oh did you need something?"

"Well I wanted to tell you that we have full freedom to talk without you getting in trouble. My dad agreed that I needed a friend to help me get used to this place and I thought you'd be a pretty good one."

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "Why me?"

He shrugged and lied, not wanting to reveal his feelings. "I don't know, I just get a good feeling about you. But I also need your help with something. They're planning some party for me to introduce me to people and I'm kind of nervous about it. I was hoping you'd be able to help get me prepared to talk to the people of Meldovia."

Rachel stared at him for a moment. She knew that something felt off about Puck choosing to spend time with her. Like he had ulterior motives that she couldn't figure out. But she was never one to say no to something new especially since this involved the prince so she nodded. "I would love to help."

 **Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 5

"I look stupid," Puck said a week later as he stood on a stool while a tailor made last minute adjustments to his suit.

"No you do not," Rachel shook her head. "You look like a prince. Like this isn't the first time you have attended something like this which is what the public needs to think. Which reminds me, the king wanted me to go over what the story is for your sudden appearance."

He smirked. "Oh I can't tell everyone how my father abandoned me and one day decided to barge into my life to tell me that I'm actually a prince?" When he saw that Rachel wasn't amused, he sighed. "Fine what's the story?"

"During your father's time in America, he married and had a son but he and your mother divorced upon his return to Meldovia. You and your mother stayed in America but he visited often. Now that you are older he has brought you back to act as prince. You have known of your identity your entire life and were educated even when you were in America."

"I'm not going along with that," he shook his head.

She frowned. "Why not?"

"My parents were never married and I didn't see or speak to my dad for thirteen years. I'm not going to pretend like he was some great parent because he wasn't. I don't care what people think."

"I understand your unhappiness with your father but we cannot taint the royal family's image. Keeping up appearances are part of the standard."

He groaned and looked at her. "Be honest. If you were me, what would you do?"

"I think it is a little different. I'm not royalty."

"Just imagine that you are."

She sighed and thought for a moment. "I would play along. No good would come out of telling everyone the truth about your dad. All it would do is make everything a lot harder and I imagine that is the last thing you want."

"You'd be correct. Fine I'll go along with the story. But I don't want to see or talk to my dad the whole night."

"It would be a little hard to not see him but I will inform him of your wishes."

As the tailor finished and walked out, Puck stepped down. "You'll be there too right?"

"No I do not attend events like this. I will be washing linens but I'm sure you will be alright on your own."

He frowned in disappointment but nodded as she walked out. He had been spending so much spare time with Rachel the past week that he never realized she wouldn't be able to attend the party with him. Instead, he would have to face everyone on his own, something that he wasn't prepared to do.

At the party that night, Puck walked around and tried his best to avoid everyone. He figured if he didn't talk to anyone he wouldn't have to go along with that ridiculous lie.

As he got something to drink, Olivia walked over to him. "I trust you are on your best behavior tonight. The last thing your father needs right now is a scandal."

"I don't really care what my dad needs, Olivia. Thought you figured that out already."

She scowled at him. "Just don't embarrass the royal name with your American behavior. For one night pretend that you grew up royal instead of common."

He glanced across the room at his father who was looking over at them worriedly before turning back to Olivia. "So I don't embarrass the royal name I'm going to walk away. Good night Olivia."

As he walked away, Puck tried to take his mind off of how much he was hating this arrangement. He had half a mind to pack his bags and go back home but he didn't want to give up so easily. The last thing he wanted was to prove Olivia right that he didn't belong there but it was hard being away from everything he knew with no support.

"Excuse me," he heard, bringing him out of his thoughts. He turned around to face a beautiful blonde with a tiara on her head. "I hear you're our guest of honor."

"I guess I am." He held out his hand. "Noah Puckerman."

Instead of shaking his hand, she curtseyed. "Princess Quinn Fabray of Ausland. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

"So why are we just learning about you? I would think that we would have met already."

He smirked. "Well my parents knew I'd be a magnet for princesses as gorgeous as you so they kept me away. Care for a dance?"

She smiled and took his hand before going to the dancefloor. As he danced and talked with her the whole night, Puck couldn't help but feel an attraction. Quinn was the kind of girl he would be pursuing if he was back home. He wasn't sure of the way that people date in Meldovia but he was interested in finding out.

At the end of the night, Puck was saying his goodbyes to his guests when Quinn came over to him.

"It was lovely to meet you," she smiled.

"You as well princess. Maybe we can spend some of our free time together. If you'd be interested."

She thought for a moment before nodding. "I am interested. Good night, Noah."

As she walked out, Puck smiled in satisfaction. Suddenly, being a prince wasn't so bad.

"Did you enjoy the party?" James asked, walking over to him.

"Yeah it was fun."

"I see you got along with Princess Quinn."

"Yeah about that, what's the deal with the whole dating thing? How does it work here?"

He frowned. "Noah you just got here. Do you really think that you should be trying to enter a relationship so soon?"

"If it takes my mind off of how out of place I feel here yeah I do."

"This party was supposed to help with you feeling that way."

"Well it didn't. Look I know I agreed to this but lying about how all of this happened isn't something I agreed to. If I was going to have to lie I would've rather you kept me out of this."

"I'm sorry, I should've told you about that."

"Yeah that's among the long list of things you should've told me. Seems like keeping stuff from me is your specialty."

James sighed as Puck walked away. He was disappointed when he was told that Puck didn't want him around during the party but hoped they could have a civil conversation. As much as he knew that he should Puck the time and the space he needed to process everything, James just wanted to be part of his son's life the way he should've been. This was going to be a harder task than he imagined.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Puck walked back to his bedroom, he decided to stop and see Rachel. When he approached her room, he heard her singing to herself.

He gently knocked on the door and she looked at him and smiled. "How was the party?"

"I didn't screw up or anything so I'd say pretty good. Even met a few princesses."

Rachel nodded as she tried to ignore the jealous feeling at the pit of her stomach. "Wonderful, I'm glad you were able to enjoy yourself."

"Yeah." He hesitated. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Is this really what you want to do with your life? Just be a chambermaid to the royal family? I mean with a voice like yours you could really go somewhere."

She blushed. "Thank you. I am working towards music school. Our country has a prestigious one but my father cannot afford it so he helped me get this job so that I can pay for it."

"Well I hope you're able to go. Your voice is too good to only be heard within these walls."

"Thank you, Noah. That means a lot coming from our prince."

"No problem," he smiled at her. "Well I should let you get some sleep. Good night Rachel."

"Good night."

As he walked out, Rachel sighed to herself. She could feel herself getting carried away with the idea of Puck being interested in her and she knew she had to stop it. He was simply being nice towards her because he has no one else. Once he gets preoccupied with the princesses, he will forget all about her. As much as her heart hurt just thinking about it, Rachel knew this is the way that it was.

 **Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


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